Weihnachtsgans Augustus
by Rogue11
Summary: Ghost detectives Christmas story. For the holidays the guys and Alexander rent a cabin in the mountain determined to enjoy the snow, and a scrumptious Christmas dinner. But things don't quite as planed. And this time it's not even Alexander's fault...Well, not completely anyway.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **This story was written by a fan only for the enjoyment of other fans, without any monetary compensation. Gundam Wing and its characters are registered trademarks of Bandai Entertainment Inc.™ and Sotsu Agency. All rights reserved.

Happy Holidays 2013

**Weihnachtsgans Augustus  
**  
Prologue

"So, what are you guys planning for Christmas?" Treize Khushrenada asked as he and Alexander moved the last of the paper plates and leftover pizza from the living room into the kitchen while their friends set up the new Creationary game Trowa and Quatre had brought along for the game night. "You are visiting your sister, Trowa?"

"No actually," the young man replied. "Her company sent her and a couple of co-workers to some seminar in Germany. It starts on the 14th and ends on the 19th. I told her to take her vacation time, stay there over Christmas and New Year and enjoy herself, rather than hurrying back here on my behalf."

"I see," the professor nodded. "Then you will be staying with Quatre and his family, I assume?"

"Nope," Quatre answered instead. "My father decided to take the girls on a 1 week cruise to Alaska. The idea of spending Christmas with hundreds of others on a huge boat didn't sound appealing to me. So we decided we will stay here for the holidays, this year; together with Wu, Duo and Heero."

"You are not going home either, Wufei?" Milliardo had broken out the instruction manual and handed it off to Quatre to read through it.

"Nah. Apparently some aunts and uncles are visiting. They will be staying at our house. Mother told me I was welcome to come, but I would have to share my room with a cousin or two. I'd rather not… Duo and I met them last summer when we went to China."

Duo nodded, and the expression on his face suggested that it wasn't the most pleasant memory.

Treize, returning to the living room, raised one curious eyebrow, and the braided youth grinned wryly.

"Well, let's just say…"

"No reason to sugar-coat it, Duo," his friend interrupted. "They are spoiled little brats."

Duo shrugged as if to say 'his words, not mine.'

Milliardo laughed.

"What about you, Treize?" Heero asked. "You are flying home to your mother's house this year?"

"No," the professor huffed. "I have been officially informed that Mother will be spending the holidays with a 'gentleman' friend, was how she put it. She wasn't even sure if they will be staying at his house or hers." Another huff. "'Gentleman friend'… she never even introduced him to me yet."

"Treize! It's your mother we are talking about." Milliardo pointed out.

"Exactly! I do have certain responsibilities. What if he is after her only for her money?"

"Give her a little credit, will you."

"So, Milliardo…" Duo added. "Seems like you are the only one who hasn't been abandoned by their family this Christmas."

"Think again," the blonde snorted. "My parents suddenly decided to take a second honeymoon, and Relena is spending the break with friends in Aspen."

"Well then…" Quatre looked up. "Why don't the eight of us spend Christmas together?"

"Eight?" Duo echoed as he looked around the room counting heads.

"We can't leave out Alexander, can we?"

"Oh…right."

"Well, actually." Treize exchanged a look with his fiancé. "Milliardo and I were thinking of going somewhere. Maybe renting a cabin in the mountains or something."

"Why don't we all go together?" Heero suggested. "Unless of course…" he paused. "You guys want your privacy."

"No, no that sounds great." Milliardo insisted. "Doesn't it, Treize?"

"It does," the older man confirmed.

"Great," Quatre exclaimed. "It's settled then. We are going on a trip. When and where?"

"Slow down, Cat," Trowa stifled his friend's excitement. "This will take a bit of planning, you know."

"Absolutely," Treize agreed. "We need to consider arrangements for transportation, lodging, meals…"

Milliardo nodded. "I'd suggest we stay locally. Some place we can reach by car. I hate to have to depend on airplanes during the winter and risk getting stuck on an airport somewhere. Besides…" The young man looked in the direction of their ghostly housemate. "No offence, but I feel safer on the ground when Alexander is involved."

Nobody in the room could argue with that.

"How about Snowshoe or Wintergreen?" Heero suggested.

"Actually," Treize replied. "I was thinking something a little more private, away from the main resorts, if you know what I mean."

"I like that idea." Quatre nodded. "Why don't we make a list of all the arrangements that need to be made and split it up. Trowa and I could take care of renting the cabin."

"Great idea," the professor nodded. "Make sure it has at least 4 bedrooms."

"…and they allow dogs." Milliardo pointed out. "I'm not leaving Cabal in a shelter over Christmas."

"…and ghosts." Duo added with a grin.

"Got it."

"I think we should take care of food and stuff," Heero made a gesture that included his two housemates. "I had planned on cooking Christmas dinner for the five of us anyway and have already come up with a menu and bought some things."

"Sounds good." Milliardo replied. He had ripped a piece of paper from a notepad and was starting to make a list. "May I ask what said menu consists of?" he asked, knowing that Heero was probably the best cook amongst all of them.

"Considering that we all probably had turkey and ham for Thanksgiving I was going to make a goose and some sea food…Trowa's sister…ummm…I mean his sister Leia…translated some recipes for me for original German potato dumplings, rotkraut and Black Forest Cake."

"That sounds delicious." Treize agreed. "It's settled then. You three are responsible for food and drinks, and Trowa and Quatre take care of our accommodations."

"What does that leave for us?" Milliardo looked at the professor.

"Well, transportation for one. We are going to need at least 2 cars. Heero do you have snow chains for your Jeep?"

The younger man nodded. "Somewhere."

"Alright, then we will rent a second vehicle. I don't think either my BMW nor your sports car are large enough to transport everything we will need. And I'll look into renting some snowmobiles or something that we can use during our vacation."

"Speaking of need…" Duo threw in. "We will **need** a Christmas tree."

"Absolutely," the professor nodded. "Lights and trimmings as well."

"No problems. We can use my parent's," Milliardo suggested. "Don't think they will mind since they won't be using them. Treize and I can pick up a box or two and get a Christmas tree the day before we leave."

"Sounds good," Quatre agreed. "Only one more thing to decide on…When are we going and how long will we be staying?"

TBC

Author's note:


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **This story was written by a fan only for the enjoyment of other fans, without any monetary compensation. Gundam Wing and its characters are registered trademarks of Bandai Entertainment Inc.™ and Sotsu Agency. All rights reserved.

* * *

**Weihnachtsgans Augustus  
**  
Chapter 1

Treize threw a quick look to his right as he followed Heero and Trowa up a long steep driveway. In the passenger seat, Milliardo had draped his warm jacket over his body like a blanket and was fast asleep. Cabal in the backseat seemed to be sleeping as well.

The professor huffed in a mixture of sarcasm and amusement. _No wonder Alexander wanted to ride with Trowa and Quatre. _

As they reached the end of the driveway he stopped the Toyota 4runner behind Trowa who was driving the same make and model. In the end they had decided to take three vehicles, Heero's Jeep and two rentals, rather than traveling like sardines in a can stuck between all their gear.

Milliardo's head snapped up as the car came to a halt.

"Are we there?" he asked with a yawn as he blinked the sleepiness from his eyes.

Thrusting his chin forward the older man gestured at the log cabin ahead of them. The word 'cabin' of course didn't even begin to describe the impressive two story house with the large deck that seemed to be made completely from wood.

"Wow!" Milliardo exclaimed in awe. "It's larger than I had expected… and a lot more luxurious."

Treize had to agree on the later. When Quatre refused to show his friends any pictures of the place he had rented - to heighten the anticipation as he had put it - the older man couldn't help but wonder if they were in for a good or bad surprise.

He unbuckled his seatbelt then reached into the back to loosen the harness that kept Cabal secured to the seat, before climbing out of the car and opening the door for the large dog.

After being stuck in the car for nearly four hours Cabal couldn't wait to stretch his long limbs. He jumped out of the Toyota and tried to run into the woods only to find himself up to his belly in freshly fallen snow the moment his feet left the driveway, which must have been plowed only hours earlier.

Treize laughed as he grabbed the surprised dog by his collar and helped him back onto 'solid ground'. Cabal had seen snow before, but never this much. Although it had startled him for a moment, it had also made him curious. He began to sniff the soft white mass, prodding and probing with his long nose until he started to sneeze.

Meanwhile the other's had gotten out of their vehicles as well. Duo rubbed his hands together and pulled up his shoulders against the cold.

"This makes me feel like Christmas already," he announced, his breath forming little gray clouds in the frigid air.

"Come on!" Quatre urged as he pulled out the set of keys they had picked up earlier at the rental office in town. "Let's go inside. Let me show you the whole place."

##

On the inside their accommodations looked even more impressive than from the outside. The theme of wood and natural stone continued throughout the entire house. The rooms were large and with lots of natural light. There was a common area upstairs and another downstairs, each of them with its own wood burning fireplace and flat-screen TV. The kitchen was full size with a double oven, which Heero took note of with a satisfied nod. He had been worried about having to cook his entire Christmas meal with only one oven; which could have been a problem. Duo was more excited about the game room which not only came with a brand new gaming system but also a full size pool table, and Treize was especially pleased to find a large Jacuzzi outside on the second floor deck.

"I think this will be a lot of fun," the professor announced as the group had finished their tour and divided the bedrooms amongst them. "Let's get started unpacking the cars, shall we?"

With everyone, including Alexander, pitching in, all their gear was unloaded in no time.

Even Cabal had carried his own blanket and a couple of stuffed animals from the back of the Toyota into the living room. Surrounded by his treasures the large dog stretched out in front of the still unlit fireplace and looked up expectantly.

"He knows the good life, doesn't the?" Wufei laughed. "Should we indulge him and turn on the fire?"

"Would you?" Quatre agreed. "The central heat unit should kick in any moment; I just turned it on. But there is nothing like the smell and the sound of a real wood fire crackling in the fireplace."

"Speaking of which," Treize added. "Will we need more wood?" He gestured at the basket filled with logs near the fireplace. "That won't last us very long."

Quatre shook his head. "There is a shed outside filled with wood, I was told. Some might still need to be split, though."

"I'll happily take care of that." Trowa volunteered. "I love splitting wood."

"You are weird, you know that?" Duo snorted.

"What?!" the brunette shrugged. "It's relaxing, okay?"

"Each their own, as they say." Treize Khushrenada replied as he set down a third box of Christmas decorations in the entrance, next to the pile of snowboards and ski-boots. "As for me, I prefer to relax in that hot-tub upstairs. Unfortunately that will have to wait. I think I'd better head down into town and get those snowmobiles. The dealer said he could put a hold on them, but not indefinitely. Anyone want to come?"

"How are you going to get those snow mobiles up here?" Wufei asked. "Trailer?"

The professor nodded. "Each trailer fits two from what I've been told. So I need at least one more car and driver."

"I wouldn't mind coming," the young Chinese man volunteered. "Heero, mind if I take the Jeep?"

"No, go ahead." His friend tossed him the keys.

"I want to go, too," Quatre added. I promised to send some postcards when we got here. Might as well get that over with.

"Alright, anyone else?" Treize asked, assuming that meant Trowa would be coming along as well.

Heero shook his head. "I think I'll unload all the food and stuff."

"I'll help him." Duo added.

The professor threw a look at his fiancé. "Milliardo?!"

"Don't mind if I stay. I might play a bit with Cabal, tire him out a little."

"Alright then," Treize agreed with a nod when he noticed some movement to his left, where Milliardo's backpack was leaning against the wall.

Several of the bag's zipper's opened and closed as though pulled by an invisible hand, then the small leather-bound diary, which for safety reasons had been enclosed in a waterproof pouch, rose into the air and slowly floated toward the professor.

Treize gave a little smile. "I'd figured you'd want to come, too."

###

It was a long drive back into town. Wufei, with Quatre and Trowa in the jeep, was following the professor on the winding road down the mountain. It had started to snow again and a strong wind was making conditions even worse.

Treize looked briefly into the rear view mirror, making sure his friends were keeping up. Beside him, in the passenger seat Alexander was getting restless.

"No!" his great-grandson told the ghost firmly. "You may NOT drive. I do know that Milliardo lets you park his car every once in a while. But that's not the point. For one this is a rental, equipped with more electronics than the average computer store… You do know what can happen when you get too close to electronics, right? And secondly what if someone sees us? I'm not only talking about a police patrol or something. Can you imagine when someone notices a 'driverless' car passing by? No, I don't want to be responsible for some multi car pileup or something."

Alexander retreated into the back of the car, apparently pouting. Treize gave a inward sigh.

_And they say teenagers can be difficult. _

The professor turned on the radio and moments later the soft sound of holiday music filled the cabin. It was only three days until Christmas, and every station was playing Carol and Yule-time songs.

"Did you manage to finish Milliardo's present?" he asked, directed at the ghost.

The friends had decided on a small "Secret Santa' gift exchange for Christmas morning. Each of them had picked a name from Duo Maxwell's hat, and was expected to bestow a present to the person whose name they had chosen. To make things a little more interesting and fun, it had been decided that said present had to be handcrafted and couldn't cost more than $20.

Everyone had been very tight lipped and secretive about their little gift exchange, and the only reason that he, Treize knew, that Alexander had pulled Milliardo's name from the hat was because he had found the scrap of paper in the attic when he went upstairs to retrieve Octavian's diary before the trip. He himself had to come up with a present for Trowa, which seemed to be easier said than done.

Stopping briefly to let his friends catch up Treize finally left the narrow mountain road and pulled onto a four lane highway leading into town.

Bowden was a sleepy little tourist town located between several ski- and winter-sport areas. The fresh snow had transformed the community into a white winter wonderland sprinkled with colorful Christmas decorations and displays set up in store fronts, on lawns and front yards.

As Treize looked around he noticed a flagpole with a large American flag in front of a building. He tapped his lights to get his friend's attention before pulling into the parking lot. Moments later Wufei parked the jeep directly next to him. The window in the back was lowered and Quatre Winner stuck his head out of the car.

"This doesn't look like a snow mobile place."

"Nope," the older man confirmed. "It's the post office. And across the street you have a little gift shop. I 'd bet they sell all kinds of little knick knacks, including post cards. Isn't that what you were looking for?"

"Oh, yeah," the blonde smiled. "Wufei, we will get off here. I'll get those cards and send them right off while you guys take care of those rentals. We can catch up later."

Wufei Chang nodded as he waited for his friends to climb out of the jeep. "I'll call you guys when we are done."

###

"Was that the last cooler?" Duo Maxwell asked as he tried to make room for a bottle of creamer and some bags of vegetables.

"Why?" Heero asked, tongue in cheek. "You afraid I didn't bring enough to feed you?"

"No, I was starting to worry the fridge might crack out of its seams if you keep handing me any more stuff to put in."

The young man laughed. "Relax. It WAS the last cooler. Just a few six packs of beer and soft drinks left; but I was thinking of putting those into the shed outside. It should be just cool enough to keep them cold without actually freezing them."

"Hmmm…" Duo mumbled, still moving bottles and plastic containers with various foods around.

"What now?" his lover wanted to know.

"Didn't you say you were going to roast a goose? I don't remember putting away anything resembling a goose."

"That's because I didn't bring it." Heero cleaned out the last cooler and closed it tightly. It was probably a good idea to store them in the garage or their cars until they were leaving.

"Oh?!" Duo looked at him questioningly… and suspiciously.

The brunette laughed again. "Don't worry, I'm not planning to serve you guys a vegetarian Christmas feast. I just don't like my poultry frozen. But I didn't think that buying a fresh goose and transporting it for hours in the car was a good idea either. So I ordered one online. I found this place that delivers fresh ducks and geese up to the day before Christmas. It should get here tomorrow, just in time for me to get it brined and everything. They send it with overnight shipping, probably stored in some refrigerated box or something."

"Cool!" the braided young man exclaimed. "No pun intended."

"Now will you help me with those drinks?"

"Yes, Sir." Snapping to attention playfully. Duo grabbed a six-pack with each hand and headed for the door. It was still snowing, and the wind was blowing frigid wetness into his face.

"Watch out, Maxwell. Incoming!"

Milliardo's warning caused the young man to duck his head, expecting to be pelted by a barrage of snowballs or something. What was flying toward him was indeed white, but way too large and heavy to be a snowball. Cabal pounced at him full speed, knocking the startled young man right off his feet and throwing him backward into the soft, cold powder.

Somewhere through the snow flurries he could hear Milliardo laugh, and moments later Heero, who came running to check out what had happened, joined in.

Grimacing and spluttering Duo tried to fight off the large dog as it started to lick his face with it's hot tongue.

"Will someone please get this Wampa off of me!" he growled.

"Sorry, Maxwell!" Milliardo was still laughing as he rushed over, grabbed the dog by its collar and pulled him aside. "I don't know what's gotten into him. This snow seems to be making him crazy."

"You alright?" Heero held out his hand to help his lover to his feet.

"I'm fine." Pulling himself up Duo scowled at Cabal, but without too much conviction. I mean, who can really be angry at a dog wagging its tail?

His friends helped him pick up the beer and soda cans and carry them into the shed.

"So," Milliardo suggested as they were done. "should we put up some Christmas decorations, or go inside and make hot cocoa?"

"I'm voting for cocoa," Duo replied. "But first…" the young man suddenly pounced at Cabal, grabbing the dog around his midsection and pulling him down to the ground. "Revenge!" he declared triumphantly, as the two of them rolled through the soft, wet snow.

Milliardo exchanged a look with Heero who simple shrugged.

"What was it you were saying about the snow making the dog crazy?"

###

A good thirty minutes later Duo was sipping hot chocolate by the fireplace, with Cabal wrapped in his blanket curled up against the young man.

Milliardo and Heero had finished their own drinks and were starting to sort out some of the garlands and light chains they had brought to decorate the house.

"Which of the lights?" Hero asked. "The white or colorful ones?"

"Actually those are for the tree, I believe. I thought, Treize packed some icicle-lights to hang outside. Not sure where he put them. Maybe we need to wait until they get back?"

The words had barely left Milliardo's mouth when the dog suddenly raised his head. Apparently the sound of approaching vehicles had caught his attention.

"Would that be them now?"

"I suppose," Duo replied with a shrug as he slowly scrambled to his feet to unlock the front door. "Unless one of you is expecting visitors. Wow!" the young man exclaimed as he looked out of the window in the entry and his gaze fell upon a vehicle that looked like a jeep on snow tracks. "What the heck is that?"

Curious Milliardo and Heero stepped closer to check out what Duo was talking about.

"It's a RZR, the ultimate ATV they say," Heero explained looking over his lover's shoulders. "I had no idea they made those for the snow, too."

Meanwhile the vehicle had stopped in front of the house, with Wufei pulling up right behind him in the jeep. Treize climbed out of the cabin, put up the collar of his heavy coat and hurried through the still falling snow.

"Welcome back!" Milliardo greeted his lover.

"Glad to be back," the professor announced as he pulled off his boots, slipped out of the coat and put Octavian's diary down on the little side table. "The wind has gotten so bad, you can hardly see the road."

The blond nodded knowingly. "We were listening to the radio. They were talking about closing down the freeway until the storm passed."

Wufei, Trowa and Quatre hurried inside, and Alexander who had been holding the door, closed and locked it behind them.

"You guys got everything done?"

Quatre nodded. "Even picked up some dog treats and some homemade apple cider."

"But what's up with the tank?" Duo wanted to know as the three young men took off their boots and jackets. "I thought you were going to rent some snowmobiles."

"We did." Wufei gestured out of the window at the aluminum trailers both the RZR and Jeep were pulling. "There are two per trailer," he explained.

"But they really only carry one adult each," Treize added as everyone shuffled into the living room. "The ATV seats 4 and has a heated cabin. That way we can all head out together, including Cabal, and we can take turns riding the snowmobiles and warming up in a bit of comfort."

"Really? And how much did that 'bit of comfort' set you back?" Milliardo wanted to know.

Dropping down into a armchair by the fireplace the professor simply shrugged. "It's Christmas, Dear. What does it matter?"

"Oh, by the way," Quatre pulled some kind of document from his pocket. "We even remembered this!"

"Wow!" Duo exclaimed with a grin. "A piece of paper. Gee jolly, you really thought of everything!"

His friend huffed as he smacked the young man on the back of the head. "It's our tree voucher."

"Tree voucher?" Heero echoed, puzzled.

"Yep. Instead of picking up some gnarly old Christmas tree that has been sitting in a lot for weeks already we bought this voucher instead."

"Hmm… I think I'd rather have a tree."

"Maxwell," Quatre snorted. "Can you be serious for once? The voucher allows us to drive to a specified area where we can pick out and cut down our own Christmas tree."

"Oh cool." Heero nodded. "I remember J and me doing that a couple times when I was a kid. It will be fun."

"That's what I thought," Quatre agreed. "By the way; do I smell hot chocolate?"

###

Checking his watch, Treize Khushrenada quickly calculated what time it was in Germany and decided that it was still early enough for a social call. While the others were still downstairs, talking and drinking hot chocolate he had excused himself to take a shower… and make a quick call.

The phone rang thrice before someone picked up on the other side.

"Ja bitte?"

"Leia, it's Treize."

"Treize?!" she seemed surprised. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes, everything is fine. Thanks. Is this a bad time?"

"No, not at all. I was just settling down with a cup of tea. What's up?"

"There is something I need to ask you."

There was a brief moment of silence before she asked. "Oh?"

"Yeah, you see I'm really no good when it comes to picking presents, especially when arts and crafts are involved. And to make matters worse I had to pull Trowa from the hat."

"Say what?!" she asked.

He laughed. "What I mean is, we are having a little gift exchange for Christmas and I picked Trowa…I mean Triton. The problem is I have not the slightest idea what to get him, so I thought you might be able to help."

Now it was her turn to laugh. "You are asking me? You probably know him a lot better than I do, Treize."

"I'm desperate. Please, there has to be something he really likes."

"Hmm…How much are you allowed to spent?"

"Twenty bucks," he replied. "And did I mention it is supposed to be handmade."

"Ouch, that's a tough one. I supposed a hand-embroidered handkerchief or a knitted scarf are out of question?"

"Leia Barton, are you making fun of me?"

He could hear her chuckle and he could almost see her face. Suddenly he remembered why he had fallen for her so badly back when she was his nurse.

"Sorry," she said, without really sounding it. "Say, have you considered music?"

"Music?" he echoed.

* * *

TBC

Author's note:


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **This story was written by a fan only for the enjoyment of other fans, without any monetary compensation. Gundam Wing and its characters are registered trademarks of Bandai Entertainment Inc.™ and Sotsu Agency. All rights reserved.

* * *

**Weihnachtsgans Augustus  
**  
Chapter 2

"I think that one will be perfect."

Raising one eyebrow in a mixture of sarcasm and surprise Treize Khushrenada gazed up at the tall, snow-cowered pine tree Milliardo had pointed out.

"Are you sure it's big enough?" he inquired, tongue in cheek.

His fiancé snorted. "For my picture; not to take home. Stay beneath it, will you?"

Treize shrugged as he complied, leaning casually against the thick tree trunk.

"Like this?"

"Perfect! Now stand still and smile," Milliardo told him as he readied his camera.

The gang had arrived at the wooded area, denoted on their tree voucher, about thirty minutes earlier. They had left their snow mobiles and RZR behind at the small parking lot and started to look for their perfect Christmas tree. Although the young men had fanned out, they never separated far enough to lose sight of one another. Cabal, sporting a brand new fleece jacket and doggy boots, was running - or more precisely jumping- around between them.

"Milliardo… hurry up. I'm getting lock jaw," Treize urged, without ever breaking his smile for the camera.

"One more second. Hold on." Milliardo adjusted the focus and the zoom a little more then suddenly called out. "Now!"

At the same moment, Alexander, who had positioned himself perfectly above his great-grandson, started to shake one of the large tree branches. Before the professor even knew what was going on, or was able to react, a pile of snow splattered down on him from above. He gasped in surprise at the cold wetness that covered his head and face, and even found its way into his jacket.

"Perfect!" Milliardo rejoiced as he checked the picture he had taken at the very moment his fiancé got drenched.

Treize growled playfully as he bent down and grabbed a handful of snow. "You know what this means, don't you? War!"

"Hold on, Treize. My camera," the younger man protested.

"You've got three seconds to put it away," his fiancé told him. "One… two… "

A few dozen feet away Quatre laughed as he watched his friends embark in a fierce snowball battle, but the laughter died abruptly when he was suddenly hit in the face by a very cold and very wet projectile. The snow got into his eyes, his mouth and even his nose.

Shaking his head the young man spluttered and spat. "Hey! I'm just an innocent bystander."

"Hah!" Treize huffed. "Innocent bystanders don't find delight in their friend's misery."

Giving a huff of his own Quatre reached for a handful of snow. But his first snowball was not aimed back at the professor but toward Trowa who stood just a few feet away.

"What was that for?" the brunette protested. "**I** didn't do anything."

"Exactly." his friend complained playfully. "You should have jumped in and protected me from that snowball. What kind of bodyguard are you anyway?"

"Are you going to let him talk to you like that?" Duo asked cheekily.

"No, I don't think I will!"

Without warning, and agile like a cat, Trowa suddenly leapt toward his friend. The blonde tried to dodge but was grabbed by his legs and pulled down into the snow.

"Traitor!" Quatre accused, directed at Duo just before a big handful of snow was pushed into his face.

Moments later everyone was involved in a major snowball fight, including Cabal who was trying to fetch any stray snowball that missed its target, and didn't quite understand why those 'balls' kept falling apart in his mouth.

###

"Truce…peace… waffenstillstand…" Heero raised his hand to stop the others from firing at him when the phone deep inside his snow parka suddenly started to ring. He pulled the device from his pocket and took the call.

"Hello?"

After listening for a few moments the young man nodded. "Alright, thanks for the heads up. I will be there."

As he slid the phone back into his pocket his friends were looking at him questioningly.

"No bad news, I hope." Treize asked.

"No, that was just the overnight guy. They are going to deliver the goose I had ordered in about two hours. Someone needs to be there to sign for it. I guess, I'd better head back soon. But that doesn't mean you guys can't continue without me."

"No," Milliardo shook his head. "I think I'm pretty much ready for a hot shower and some dry clothes myself."

"I'm with you on that." Trowa agreed.

"But we haven't gotten our tree yet." Treize pointed out. "That's what we came here for in the first place."

"That's right," Quatre nodded. "Let's pick one quickly and then head home. Wufei will you go grab the saw from the ATV?"

"Hmm…" the young Chinese man responded with a grumbling sound.

"Sorry," Quatre grinned apologetic. "I didn't mean to sound bossy. I'll go get it myself."

"That's not it." Wufei shook his head.

"Then, what is it?" Milliardo asked. "To tell the truth, you have been a bit quiet all morning. Is everything alright?"

"I'm fine." his friend assured him. "I'm just not particularly fond of the idea of cutting down a perfectly healthy tree just so that it can end up in the trash in a week or so."

"I'm sure we can find a recycle place," Quatre suggested.

"I don't think that's the point," Trowa told him.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Treize wanted to know.

Wufei just shrugged. "You made it clear that you didn't like fake trees, and everyone seemed excited about this... Besides, it's Christmas; who am I to play the Grinch?"

"Don't be silly," the professor told him. "It's true I prefer the look and the smell of a real tee over an artificial one, but that doesn't mean I can't live without it. This is supposed to be a holiday for all of us, so I'm sure we can find some kind of compromise."

"Exactly," Quatre suddenly had a wide smile on his face. "And I think I have an idea that should make all of us happy. Let's start by cutting some branches to make a wreath or centerpiece for the table. And then lets head back to the cabin."

###

"No! Try to turn it a little more to the left, Alexander. But careful now, try not to break off the tip," Treize Khushrenada directed, as the ghost was putting the golden star on top of their Christmas tree.

"Perfect." He finally nodded in satisfaction and took a step back. "Milliardo, hit the light switch."

The seven young men gave a collective "Awww…" as moments later 500 or so colorful little LED lights flickered to light, illuminating not only the tree but the entire snow-covered front yard.

"It's beautiful," Heero whispered.

Quatre smiled. "Isn't it?"

"Yes," the professor agreed. "You were right. This **is** the perfect alternative."

The young man had picked a tree about 7 feet tall, just outside the windows, that could be seen perfectly from the couch in the living room as well as from the rug by the fireplace. With Alexander's help they had strung up the lights and decorated it with glass candy canes, popcorn chains and ornaments that wouldn't be ruined by the elements. The most difficult part was to find a extension cord long enough to reach all the way to the cabin, but that problem solved itself once they realized that there was also an electrical outlet in the shed, which was much closer to the tree than the house.

Inside the freshly cut pine branches, which had been turned into a centerpiece for the dining table with candles, red bows and little silver bells, mixed with the smell of gingerbread cookies provided the perfect Christmas aroma.

"Since it looks like we are done here, I'm claiming first dibs on our shower, " Duo announced with a look at his lover. "Although, I'm not above sharing."

"Tempting, but thanks." Heero replied dryly.

"I think I myself might take a little dip into the hot tub, if anyone cares to join me," Treize stated.

"Maybe a little later," Milliardo replied. "I still have to finish up my present."

"Oh that reminds me." Treize turned toward Heero. "You brought your laptop, didn't you?"

"I did," the younger man confirmed with a nod, and Duo snorted.

"Are you kidding? You wouldn't expect him to be without his umbilical cord to the world for more than a week, would you?"

"I guess not," the professor chuckled. "May I borrow it for a while?"

"Sure." Heero gave another nod. "I already set up the internet connection, if you need it."

"Thanks. I'll come by later to get it. - Cabal?!" Treize called out. "You want to come upstairs with me?"

The borzoi was lying curled up by the fireplace and hadn't moved since they had returned from their morning outing. He lazily opened one eye at the sound of his name, but that seemed all the energy he could muster.

"Now there is something I thought I'd never see," Milliardo laughed. "I didn't even know he could run out of power. Usually he just keeps going and going, like the energizer bunny."

##

When Heero returned downstairs after taking his shower, he found Wufei and Duo sitting in the living room over a chess board, but there was no sign of any of the other guys.

"Where is everyone?" the young man asked.

""Milliardo went to join Treize in the hot tub," Wufei explained pointing his thumb upward at the ceiling from where they could hear the slight sound of the Jacuzzi churning. "Trowa said he had to finish his present, and Quatre and Alexander took the dog for a walk, or was it the other way around?"

"Oh!" Heero replied as he walked over to the table to watch his friends' game.

"By the way…" Duo stopped him before he could settled down on the couch. "They delivered your goose while you were upstairs. You did say you ordered it fresh, right?"

"Yeah," the young man nodded warily. "Don't tell me they sent us a frozen one? I could have gotten that at any market without paying for shipping."

"Oh, no." his lover assured him. "It's fresh alright."

Wufei nodded in confirmation. "Couldn't get any fresher, I'm sure."

Heero frowned slightly. What was that supposed to mean?

"Did you put it into the fridge?" he asked.

"Nope." Duo shook his head without ever looking up from the chess board. "Don't think that would have been a good idea."

Now, Heero was completely confused.

"Then, where is it?" he wanted to know.

In unison his friends pointed toward the front door. Heero's frown deepened as he crossed the room and walked into the little entry. There between to the rack with the coats and the tray for their wet boots was a box… no, a crate about 2 meters square. It was covered with what looked like a thermal blanket, and slowly the young man started to realize why shipping had cost him almost an arm and a leg. He hesitated one moment then reached for the blanket, lifting it carefully at one corner. Inside the crate was a goose, alright. But it wasn't the cleaned and de-feathered bird he had expected. It was large, white and fluffy… and most of all, it was alive.

Heero's jaw nearly dropped. _What in the world?_

The goose, which appeared to have been sleeping with its beak tugged under one wing, raised his head looked at the young man and gave a little honk that sounded almost annoyed.

"I take it it's not exactly what you expected?" Wufei asked as he and Duo walked over to him.

Throwing a look back at his friends Heero shook his head.

"Of course not. What in the world am I supposed to do with this…thing?"

"Well, you have got to admit one thing." Duo couldn't help but grin. "It IS fresh."

"What is?" Quatre wanted to know as he walked into the house followed by the dog and a gust of air, that had to be Alexander.

Cabal shook his body, sending little pieces of ice, snow and droplets of water flying in all directions and making everyone back off a couple of steps.

When Quatre pulled off his wet boots he noticed the caged goose.

"How cute." The blonde squatted down in front of the wooden crate. "Does she have a name?"

"A name? I don't think so," Duo replied. "People don't name their food. You see, this is going to be our Christmas dinner."

Meanwhile Cabal, too, had taken note of the unusual newcomer. Curiously the large dog stuck his long, pointed muzzle through the wooden slats in a friendly greeting. The goose, either notoriously antisocial or still annoyed about its rude awakening, pecked at his nose and spread its wings threateningly. Cabal seemed to take it as an invitation for a game. His tail wagged as he jumped up and down in front of the crate barking.

"Stop it! Cabal, enough!" Quatre ordered, but the dog didn't even acknowledge him.

Luckily at that moment the professor came downstairs, wearing a robe over his wet bathing trunks. "Quiet, Cabal. Over here, now!"

Reluctantly but obediently the borzoi strolled over to his master.

"What's all the ruckus about?" Treize wanted to know as he patted the dogs soft head. "What's gotten into him?"

Wordlessly Duo pointed his thumb toward something in the entry.

Curiously the older man stepped closer. One slender eyebrow rose in surprise. "And what, if I may ask, is this?"

"This…," the braided young man explained. "Is our Christmas goose."

His eyebrow shot up a little further as Treize turned toward Heero. "I didn't realize you had ordered one that's still alive?"

"Apparently, neither did he," Wufei replied dryly.

Heero just sighed quietly.

* * *

TBC

Author's note:


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **This story was written by a fan only for the enjoyment of other fans, without any monetary compensation. Gundam Wing and its characters are registered trademarks of Bandai Entertainment Inc.™ and Sotsu Agency. All rights reserved.

**Happy New Year!**

* * *

**Weihnachtsgans Augustus  
**  
Chapter 3

"Good morning."

Treize Khushrenada looked up from his morning paper and gave Quatre a soft smile.

"Good morning to you, too."

"I smell coffee. Is there some left?"

"Help yourself." The professor gestured at the large pod steaming on the coffee maker. "I made plenty. And there are donuts and bagels in those bags on the counter."

"Thanks. You went into town?" the younger man asked as he peeked into said paper bags and helped himself to a fresh blueberry bagel

"Well, the paper boy doesn't come all the way up here, and I like to read the business page in the morning."

Quatre gave an understanding nod as he took a cup from the shelf above the sink, filled it with coffee and settled down at the breakfast bar next to the professor. From where they were sitting they could admire the fully lit Christmas tree outside the window.

"It does look nice, doesn't it?"

"It does." The older man nodded as he picked up his own coffee cup and took a long sip. "I have been enjoying it. And apparently I'm not the only one…" He thrust his chin toward the tree. "A good part of our popcorn chains was already gone when I came outside in the morning."

"Birds?" Quatre asked.

"I suppose. But I have my suspicions the little squirrel with the round belly I saw sitting in the neighboring tree had something to do with it too."

"Awww," the younger man smiled. "How cute. Well, we can always make more popcorn. By the way where is Alexander? Does he sleep in, too, on occasion?"

"Not as far as I know. He took Cabal for a walk. They should be back soon. Cabal's stomach works like clockwork; he knows it's almost time to feed him his breakfast."

"Speaking of feeding… Did someone bring something to eat to our goose?"

Treize nodded. "Heero did last night. We mixed pieces of bread and some rolled oats with water. And I think he also tossed in the leftover lettuce and vegetable pieces from last night's dinner."

"Good. I hate to think of it sitting all by itself in its crate hungry and freezing."

The older man chuckled quietly. "I'm quite sure, it is not freezing beneath those feathers. The garage is not that cold, you know…"

After some discussion the night before it had been decided to house their unusual 'guest' in the garage where it was better protected from the elements then in the shed out in the garden.

"…besides, it's only temporary."

Quatre gave a little undecipherable grunt but said no more. Treize turned his attention back at his newspaper, but before he had a chance to even find the paragraph he had been reading earlier, the front door opened and they could hear Cabal run into the house.

"Feet, Cabal, feet!" the professor called out before those wet and muddy paws met the carpet, and the large dog stopped cold in its tracks.

Wagging his long bushy tail he waited patiently for Alexander to remove the doggy boots, pick up the towel by the door and dry him off.

Meanwhile Treize had risen from his stool and was filling Cabal's bowls with fresh water and kibbles. Noises from upstairs indicated that the rest of the houseguests were slowly beginning to stir.

"Should we make some eggs and bacon?" Quatre suggested. "Maybe some omelets?"

"I'll go with omelet," Milliardo, coming down the stairs dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a tank top, replied. He stopped to greet his lover with a brief but affectionate 'good morning' kiss then moved on to grab a coffee cup from the shelf. His eyes fell onto the paper bags with the logo of the local bakery.

"Did you brink some plain bagels?" he wanted to know.

"Yes, Dear. And they even had your favorite cream cheese."

"Thanks." The young man smiled.

Quatre had risen to check the refrigerator and take out the things he needed to make breakfast.

"Cheese… bacon… eggs…chives…. milk… anything else?"

###

If the aroma of freshly brewed coffee hadn't woken the last sleepyhead; the delightful smell of Quatre's omelets had brought everyone into the kitchen.

"So," Duo asked around a mouthful of bacon and egg, as they were all sitting around the counter. "We are still going snowboarding today, aren't we?"

"That might be a problem." Heero replied.

"How so?" Milliardo threw his friend a questioning look.

"I was just looking at the website before coming down, to check the conditions on the slopes and it turns out that there was some kind of transformer problem last night that shut down all four ski lifts at Snowshoe. So far there is no indication when they will be functional again."

"Well, we could always head over to Silver Creek," Duo suggested. "It's a little further but they do have some nice trails there, too."

"You do realize that everyone else will have the same idea, don't you? Not only will the freeway be a mess, but the lines for the lifts will be enormous."

"Hmm…" Duo admitted. "I guess so."

"Why don't we change plans and stay home today?" Treize recommended. "We are still here for another 6 days so we are in no hurry. Considering how much the businesses depend on those ski lifts, I'm pretty sure they will have them fixed by tomorrow."

"Let's do that." Trowa agreed. "One day to relax. We can play some games inside..."

"…maybe have a pool tournament," Quatre added.

"I like the idea." Heero nodded. "That way I can also get a few things prepared for brunch and dinner tomorrow. The cake needs to be baked and…" he sighed inwardly. "I really need to get that goose brined."

##

"Six ball into the left center pocket!" Treize Khushrenada announced as he leaned forward and calmly lined up his cue with the balls. After a moment however he straightened up again, shooting a glare to his left.

"Alexander, do you mind backing off a little?...No, I can still feel you breathing down my back. Not only is it against the rules, but also very un-gentleman like to crowd your opponent to throw him off his mark. Quatre, tell him!"

His friend, who had been appointed the official score keeper and referee for their little pool tournament, gave a little nod. "He is right, Alexander. Stand back or I will have to disqualify you."

If it was possible the Ghost probably would have snorted as he stepped away, his own pool cue hovering mid-air as he did so.

"Thank you."

Treize lined up again, shot and sank the little green ball into the called pocket. He reached for the chalk as he walked around the table to find the best position for his next, and probably final shot. Only the black and the white ball were left on the table at that moment.

"Eight ball, top left corner."

It was an easy shot. The professor threw his great-grandfather a triumphant look and bowed slightly as the black ball disappeared into the pocket.

"Win goes to Treize!" Quatre announced, marking the result of the match on his score-sheets. "Next up will be… "Wufei vs. Heero."

They had started their little tournament right after breakfast. In the first match Trowa had won over Milliardo.

"They are both still in the shower." Duo replied.

"Not together, I hope," Milliardo smirked, earning himself a glare from the braided young man.

"Well then, Duo… we will go next."

Quatre put down the pen and paper and nodded at Alexander who handed him his cue. "Thanks."

"Fine." Duo had already picked a stick from the cue rack earlier. As he started to rack up the balls he looked up and around the room.

"By the way, does anyone of you know how to properly kill a goose?"

Milliardo frowned. "Is it just me or do the words 'properly' and 'kill' just don't seem to go together? But as far as I know you snap it's neck or chop of the head or something, right? Treize?!"

"Why do you ask me? Do I look like the goose slayer of Marymount or something?"

"Why do you want to know? Didn't Heero say he was going to take care of that?" Trowa asked.

"He did," Duo confirmed. "But I think it's bothering him. I thought if I could figure out how to do it… but then I'm not sure if I could."

"I know what you mean," Quatre nodded sympathetically. "Besides, I think my father would never forgive me if he found out that I killed an animal."

"Probably not much different here." Milliardo nodded, then threw a look at his lover.

"I told you already, don't look at me."

"How about Wufei?" Quatre suggested carefully. " I mean… maybe he could… like knock it out first…"

"Wufei?" Duo laughed. "Are you kidding me? He believes in reincarnation and stuff. He won't even crush a cockroach because it could be his Uncle Chien or someone else he knew."

"Oh, for god sake!" Trowa exclaimed as he rose from his chair by the fireplace. "Alexander, if you don't mind giving me a hand? I'll need someone to help me hold the goose."

Without another word the young man left the room, followed by the ghost who didn't seem to mind helping out.

Heading down into the garage without delay, and before he could change his mind Trowa opened the crate and removed the goose from its confinement. The bird was heavy. It struggled and honked in protest. The young man wrapped his arms around the animal tightly as he headed for the shed in the garden.

"Alexander?!" he moved a few pieces of wood with his foot. "Will you hold her?"

As he handed the goose off to the ghost, he placed its neck onto the tree trunk that was used to split wood, holding it down with one hand.

"Hold her tight now," the young man urged as he reached for the axe with his other hand.

"Don't worry, this is going to be quick," he mumbled, more to his own reassurance than for Alexander's or the Goose's benefit, and raised the heavy tool over his shoulder.

##

A uncomfortable silence had fallen over the room after Trowa had left, and when the front door opened and the young man walked into the house a good ten minutes later, all head's turned toward him in expectation.

"She is gone," Trowa announced quietly from the door to the game room.

"Gone… as in dead?" Milliardo wanted to know.

"No!" His friend shook his head. "Gone as in… got away, took off and ran into the woods. We forgot to close the door to shed behind us. It just didn't seem necessary," he admitted sheepishly.

There was a brief instant of stunned silence before Treize let out a deep and bubbling laugh. Within moments the other young men fell in, and by the time Heero walked downstairs, attracted by the curious sounds, he found his friends in a frenzy of laughter.

"Umm… Did I miss something?" he wanted to know.

"I think…" Milliardo had to catch his breath before he could continue. "I think we have a little problem."

"Oh?" Heero didn't seem too concerned. How big of a problem could it really be, if the others found it that amusing, he figured.

##

"So, what are we going to do now?" Wufei looked around from one of his friends to the other.

Sitting around the fireplace in the upstairs den he and Heero had just learned what had happened while they were in the shower.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" Quatre replied firmly. "We will have to find her. We can't just leave her out there to starve, or freeze to death, can we?"

Treize's gaze went to the window. It had begun to snow again. "Quatre is right. It would be cruel to leave her to the elements."

"Him."

"I beg your pardon?" the professor gave Heero a slightly puzzled look.

"You guys keep calling the goose **she**. But it is actually a **he**."

Duo's brows knitted slightly "And how exactly would you know that? You didn't check, did you?"

His lover nearly rolled his eyes.

"It said so on the packing slip attached to the box the goose came in '1 young goose - male…'"

"In any case, male or female," Milliardo pointed out. "It's a bird. Birds fly from what I remember about biology. It could be half way to Canada by now."

"Actually," Wufei rectified "I don't think those geese can fly. They clip their wings I believe when they are little."

"That's just cruel." Quatre added.

"Alright. I am the one who let it get away, so I should be the one trying to find it," Trowa declared.

"Technically it was Alexander who let him get away," Treize pointed out. "Only fair that he should help."

"I'm going too," Quatre announced firmly.

"Well, I suppose Cabal is ready for another walk anyway, so why don't we join you guys?" Milliardo offered.

"Oh what the heck." Duo shrugged. "We have no real plans for the day anyway. The pool table will still be here when we get back. So, what are you guys waiting for let's get going."

"I agree," Treize nodded. "The longer we wait the more snow will be covering any tracks left by the goose. Let's meet out in front in let's say 10 minutes."

###

"Let's form small groups and split up," Treize Khushrenada suggested as everyone stood bundled up outside the cabin, ready to launch their 'search and rescue' mission. "That will let us cover more ground."

Trowa nodded. "I'll pair up with Quatre, obviously."

"And we are taking Alexander," his friend added.

Treize shrugged. "Milliardo and I will take Cabal."

"Then we are getting Wufei," Duo called out quickly.

The young Chinese man huffed in amusement. "I'm not sure if I feel insulted or honored to be put in the same 'class' as the dog and the ghost."

The professor checked his watch. "It's almost 1pm now. Let's head out. Don't stray too far from one another, and stay in contact. Last thing we want is for one of us to get lost up here. Quatre, Trowa…and Alexander take the left. Heero, Duo and Wufei to the right and Milliardo and I will check around the main road. Any questions?"

"Yeah." Milliardo asked with a grin. "Who died and made you boss?"

"Alexander did," Treize shot back in the same good natured tone. "After him, I'm the oldest here. Respect and listen to your elders, remember."

"Well then, Sensei. Will you be alright without your walking cane?"

"I'll manage," Treize smirked. "If need be I can lean on you for support, can't I? Let's go."

Without any further ado the groups finally separated and headed off into their respective directions.

Within the last couple of days Cabal had nearly mastered the deep snow around them. He had also gotten used to wearing his coat and protective boots, and wasn't trying to rip them off anymore.

Milliardo had let the dog off the leash, knowing the Borzoi never ran off too far. He figured Cabal might pick up the scent of the goose long before they could even see it. Considering that the white bird would be able to blend perfectly into its surroundings, especially amidst the slowly falling snowflakes, it was possible for them to walk right past it without even realizing.

The two man had searched for a good 15 minutes or so when Cabal suddenly froze and raised his head. For a moment Treize thought the dog had picked up a scent, but then the large borzoi turned and ran back to Milliardo. Sitting down between the two men the dog gave a little whimpering sound of fear they had never heard before.

For a moment the professor wondered if Cabal had gotten hurt somehow.

"Cabal, are you alright?" he asked bending down to check the dog over.

But at that instant he heard another sound, something akin to a long and ominous rumbling in the distance. For a few moments there he could have sworn the ground beneath him was shaking.

Cabal's whimpering turned into a growl. Milliardo exchanged a surprised and alarmed look with his lover.

"What in the world was that?!"

* * *

TBC

Author's note:


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **This story was written by a fan only for the enjoyment of other fans, without any monetary compensation. Gundam Wing and its characters are registered trademarks of Bandai Entertainment Inc.™ and Sotsu Agency. All rights reserved.

* * *

**Weihnachtsgans Augustus  
**  
Chapter 4

"What in the world was that?!"

Milliardo reached down, petting the large dog's head reassuringly. "An Earthquake?"

The professor was about to reply that he wasn't sure, when the phone in his pocket started to ring. He pulled the device out, swiped across it and turned on the speaker phone at the same time.

"Did you guy see that?" Duo Maxwell's voice sounded a little shook up.

"See what?" Treize asked. "We felt something a moment ago. Do you know what it was?"

"An avalanche," their friend explained.

Milliardo exchanged an alarmed look with his lover.

"You guys are alright?"

"Oh yes, it was on the other side of the canyon, the mountain just across from us. I think it hit a couple of snowboarders."

Treize gasped. "Are you sure."

"Well, we were watching them coming down that slope a few moments earlier, and then we moved on. When we heard the rumbling and looked over again we only saw that snow wall come down. I don't think they could have made it out of there fast enough."

"Let's head back to the cabin. There is a list of emergency numbers right by the door. First one who gets there calls the Mountain Rescue."

"Got it."

"I have another call coming in. It's Trowa. I'll explain things to them. Get going!" the professor ordered.

##

Wufei was just finishing up his call when Milliardo and Treize reached the cabin.

"They are sending out the SAR team," the young man explained as he hung up.

Meanwhile Duo and Heero had started unloading the snowmobiles from their trailers.

"You are heading over there?"

Heero nodded as he closed the aluminum door. "We might be able to pinpoint the location where we saw them just before the avalanche came down."

Treize nodded.

"Go ahead. You too, Milliardo, if you want. I'll wait for Quatre and Trowa. We will take the RZR and catch up with you guys."

As the four young men mounted their snowmobiles and headed off across the canyon Treize locked the dog in the house and waited. A few minutes later, Trowa and Quatre, out of breath and panting, reached the cabin along with Alexander.

"The others left already. We are taking the RZR," Treize explained. "Alexander, do you mind staying with Cabal? I don't think it would be safe to take him."

"Hold on."

Trowa pulled Octavian's diary from the inside of his heavy jacket and held it out for the ghost to take. For safety reasons the book had been sealed into a water resistant bag. Bag and diary were pulled from the young man's hand, hovered midair for a moment and slowly started to move toward the cabin.

Treize could feel the ghost disappear inside as he climbed into the RZR and started the vehicle.

"I felt it." Quatre's voice was barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, I know. So did we. Almost like an earthquake, but still different."

"No," the younger man shook his head. "I mean I sensed the terror and panic those snowboarder's must have felt when they were trying to outrun that wall of snow behind them."

"I'm sorry!" The professor swallowed as he threw a brief look into the rearview mirror.

In the backseat Trowa's hand covered Quatre's reassuringly.

Treize wasted no time looking for roads or trail markers, taking the shortest and most direct route down the snow covered mountain and up on the other side of the canyon again. The mountain rescue team, seven searchers and two dogs, had just arrived. One of the man, apparently the leader was talking to Duo, Heero and Wufei who was pointing up the slope and to the south east. The rest of the team was still getting their gear ready, while the dogs were pulling against their leashes, waiting impatiently to be set free.

Taking a look around, Treize wondered for a moment how anyone could find anything in this large white field of nothingness. He parked the RZR next to their friend's snowmobiles at the foot of the mountain and climbed out. As he headed toward Hero and the others the rescuer who had been talking to them turned his head. The professor suddenly frowned.

"Corporal Boyle?!"

Surprise crossed other man's face. "Major?!"

"It's just Treize now."

Boyle gave a surprised laugh. "I will be dammed. I hadn't expected to see you. But you have got to excuse me. I need to get my men going. We'll talk later?"

"Absolutely."

Milliardo's eyes followed the tall man as he walked over to the rest of the search team to brief them, then he turned toward his lover.

"You know each other?"

"Yes, he was in Afghanistan at the same time as I." He shook his head in a mixture of amusement and surprise. "Never thought I'd run into him again in a place like this."

Boyle spoke to his men for a few moments, then they fanned out; each dog covering one side of the mountain accompanied by a handler and two rescuers on small snow-dos. He watched them for a moment then he turned and came back to Treize and his friends.

"So, what are you doing here, Major? Don't tell me you moved here?"

"No, no. We are just on vacation; renting a cabin up on the other side of the canyon. But I told you already, call me Treize. I'm not your commander anymore. And tell me, how did you end up here?"

Trent Boyle laughed. "I grew up here. This is what I did before I joined the military."

"No wonder the sand and the Afghan desert didn't agree with you." Treize snorted. " Corporal Boyle was one of 3 dog handlers attached to my team when we were doing rescue and recovery missions." he explained to the other's. "Rusty, his Labrador, was one hell of a search dog. He saved at least a dozen people trapped beneath rubble. Beautiful animal too. I'd never seen a lab of that dark copper color before. What happened to him?"

"I was able to adopt him. We both retired together. I think he fell in love with the mountains as soon as I brought him here. But can you blame him? Nothing but green grass and endless forest to run around in during the summer and thick snow in the winter."

"Oh, I think I saw him yesterday," Quatre exclaimed. "When Alexander and I were walking Cabal."

"You must be mistaken." Boyle's voice was laced with a hint of sadness. "Rusty died late last summer. Cancer. They say it's one of the most common causes of death in a dog his age."

"I'm sorry." Treize whispered.

"Yeah, me too." the other man nodded. "He was buried with military honors. I still miss him."

The sudden sound of barking interrupted their conversation and caused everyone to turn their attention toward the slope. One of the search dogs had run ahead of its team and was frantically digging in the soft snow.

"They found someone." Boyle explained. "I'd better go check it out."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Treize wanted to know.

"You have done a lot by notifying us as quickly as you did and pointing us at the right direction. No disrespect, Major…Treize… but the best you can do now is stay safely down here and out of everyone's way."

The professor nodded. He knew Boyle was right. He and his men were trained for this and knew best what to do. Yet as they watched the leader of the rescue team mount his snowmobile and head up to where some of his men had started to dig in the snow he couldn't help it, but feel something like a flash of envy.

The sound of more motorized vehicles approached moments later as the paramedics arrived with a special rescue sled. Without much ado they headed up the mountain toward the search team.

"He is wrong, you know," Quatre stated quietly as he watched the leader of the SAR team wave the paramedics closer, earning himself a few puzzled looks from his friends.

"Rusty hasn't left the mountains yet. I know I saw him. And so did Cabal. The two of them played together."

"Are you sure it wasn't just some other dog?" Heero said. "There are other cabins not that far from where we are staying."

The blonde shook his head. "Like Treize said Labs of that color are not that common. Besides, Cabal ran ahead to greet him and they both chased one another for a bit. But when I caught up with them Rusty had disappeared. I was curious where he had gone. But now it makes perfect sense."

Milliardo smiled a little. "You know I have always wondered if Cabal just had a connection with Alexander because he grew up around him. But it seems like he really is special, doesn't it?"

##

Trent Boyle stepped aside to let the paramedics take over. They had uncovered a youth in his late teens, from beneath several feet of snow. He could see blood on the torn snowboarding pants and an open wound where the leg was obviously broken and stood at an odd angle. But the young man's chest was falling and rising, a sign that at least he was breathing.

"One down, one more to go. Let's find the other one, shall we? Twenty-one minutes and counting." Boyle reminded his team, as he climbed back onto his snow mobile. But before he could even turn on the engine the walkie-talkie in his pocket came to life. A female voice, belonging to one of the searchers from the other half of the team that was working the south slope, informed him that they had found pieces of a snowboard and a backpack and their dog had picked up human scent.

"The snow is especially deep. The main wave must have landed here. We could use a few more shovels to help us dig."

"Roger that." Boyle confirmed. "We are on our way."

Pulling off the glove on his right hand he raised his fingers to his lips and let out a shrill whistle. When one of his men turned his head toward him he gestured for them to head to the other side of the slope to help out over there. He tried to turn on his engine again, but this time it was one of the paramedics who stopped him.

"Trent," the man called out to him. They had worked together for long enough to know one another on a first name basis. "He is coming around."

Boyle nodded in acknowledgement.

"Can I talk to him?" he wanted to know.

"Just don't make it too long. The helicopter will arrive any minute to pick him up."

The leader of the SAR team gave another nod as he approached the injured young man. The paramedics had stabilized his broken leg and strapped him to their stretcher-like sled for the journey down the mountain. It was too dangerous for the rescue chopper to come up here, where the noise and vibration could possibly trigger another avalanche.

"Can you hear me?" Trent asked as he crouched down next to the sled.

The young man nodded.

"Do you know what happened?"

Another nod as the youth reached up to remove the oxygen mask from his face.

"Avalanche," he whispered weakly. "Got lucky, didn't I? How are my friends?"

"Friends?" Boyle's head snapped up. "How many of you were there?"

###

"So many different emotions…!" Quatre sounded almost frustrated.

Trowa's head shot around. "What are you doing?" he asked slightly alarmed.

The blonde had his eyes closed, but opened them slowly as he turned toward his friend.

"I'm trying to pinpoint something beneath the snow. If there is life there have to be emotions, and if I can lock on to them…"

"Stop it!" the other youth demanded.

"Trowa is right," Treize agreed. There was no saying what a person, injured and buried beneath piles of snow might be feeling. And for Quatre to subject himself to that…even if he was trying to help… the professor shook his head. "As Trent said, we have done our share by calling the rescue team. Now it's their job. And if his men…and women… are half as skilled as he is I have no doubt they will get those snowboarders out in time."

"I wonder what's going on now?" Heero mused as he gestured up the mountain.

It was somewhat difficult to tell from their vantage point. It looked like the paramedics were about to bring the first of the victims down, when Boyle stopped to talk to him. Most of the action had shifted to the south side of the slope where they seemed to have pinpointed the location of the second snowboarder and had begun to dig for him. But suddenly the SAR team leader jumped back onto his snow mobile and came racing down the mountain like a bat out of hell.

Somehow Treize had a feeling that was not a good thing.

##

Heading toward the group of young men gathered around his former commanding officer, Trent Boyle turned the snowmobile and stopped directly in front of them, showering everyone with a cloud of fine powder.

He didn't take the time to apologize but looked directly at the three young men who he had spoken to earlier.

"You said you only saw two snowboarders, didn't you?"

"That's right," the youth with the long braided hair confirmed.

"Apparently there were three of them. Think about it. Are you sure you didn't see another person somewhere on the slope."

The trio shook their heads.

"Unless…"

"Unless?" Boyle looked at the young Asian man.

"He was further up the slope. From where we were standing we couldn't see the top of the mountain, remember?!" He looked at his friends for confirmation. "The trees blocked that part from our view."

"That's right." the third youth nodded. "That's why we didn't see the avalanche either until the snow was about half was down the hill."

Boyle checked his watch. Nearly half an hour had passed since the avalanche hit, from here up on survival chances diminished with every passing minute.

"How far could you guys see?" he wanted to know. If he could narrow it down he could send his men and the dogs to search above that point.

"Hard to say. Perhaps up to…" the Asian youth shook his head as his eyes searched the slope. Suddenly he frowned. "What's that up there?"

Puzzled Trent turned his head, looking into the direction the young man was pointing. On the far right, near a edge of the run, just beneath a couple of broken trees was a figure. Not human, but a large dog. His eyes went wide as he recognized the animal's copper-colored coat.

_Rusty?!_

It looked like the dog was digging for something in the snow.

Boyle blinked and raised his leather-glove clad hands to rub his eyes. When he focused again the animal was gone. He swallowed audible when he turned back toward the others.

"You saw him, didn't you?" One of them, a young man with golden blond hair, asked.

"I'm not sure what I saw," he admitted.

"Tell your men to search up there, beneath those trees." the young man told him firmly.

The SAR team leader opened his mouth but before he could say anything Treize Khushrenada interrupted.

"Do it!" he said. "Don't ask any questions. Just do it."

###

A good 40 minutes later the friends arrived back at their cabin, freezing and worn out but at the same time feeling rather good about themselves. All three snowboarders had been, thanks to everyone's help and quick thinking, rescued. They had survived the impact as well as the exposure to the elements while buried beneath the snow, and according to the paramedics none of them seemed to have suffered life threatening injuries. Treize's friend Trent Boyle had promised to contact them later and keep them updated about the young men's condition.

"Can someone tell me why I feel so exhausted just from watching others do all the work?" Duo Maxwell asked as they got ready to load the snowmobiles back onto their trailers.

Quatre laughed while he unlocked the cabin. "I don't know about exhausted. I'm just starving."

"No surprise there." Trowa checked his watch. "It's way past lunch time."

"Let's throw some sandwiches together and relax," the professor suggested entering the house. "Alexander, Cabal, we are back."

The cabin lay dark, which was not very surprising. Alexander rarely turned on the light when he was alone. But the fact that Cabal didn't come running to greet them seemed a little unusual.

"Cabal…Alexander?!"

There was no response. Treize exchanged a look with his lover then turned toward the hook by the door where he had hung the dog collar and leash earlier. The place was empty.

"Oh no! Where did they go?" Quatre sounded worried. "You don't think they tried to follow us, do you?"

* * *

TBC

Author's note:


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **This story was written by a fan only for the enjoyment of other fans, without any monetary compensation. Gundam Wing and its characters are registered trademarks of Bandai Entertainment Inc.™ and Sotsu Agency. All rights reserved.

* * *

**Weihnachtsgans Augustus  
**  
Chapter 5

"You don't think they tried to follow us, do you?"

"No." Treize shook his head. "Alexander might act immature sometimes, but never irresponsible."

"Maybe he just took Cabal out for a walk?" Duo suggested.

The professor nodded. "My thought exactly. But still, I will feel a lot more at ease once I know where they are. I'll take a little walk around to look for them."

"I'm coming with you." Milliardo told him.

Quatre, who had already started to slip off his boots, put them on again.

"Mind if I join you? You can stay, Trowa."

The dark-haired youth shrugged. With Treize and Milliardo around, and Alexander probably nearby, there was no reason for him to worry.

"Well then, we will start making sandwiches," Wufei volunteered. "Maybe heat some soup up too."

"Can I have a BLT?" Treize asked. "Easy on the L and extra B."

"Actually," Milliardo countered. "Make that easy on the B."

The professor raised one eyebrow. "When have you become my personal food coach?"

"When you started to claim my cooking had made you gain weight," his lover replied dryly.

Treize huffed but had no reply to that. The others just smirked quietly.

##

"Cabal!" Milliardo let out a whistle. before calling the dog's name again.

From the distance came a reply like a faint bark.

"Did you hear that?" the young man turned to his companions.

Quatre nodded as he pointed to their left. "It came from over there."

The three men headed in the direction the sound had come from, repeatedly calling out as they did so. The dog kept answering as though to show them the way. The barking got closer but not fast enough to indicate that Cabal was running toward them as they would have expected.

It was still snowing and the white flurries made it difficult to see far ahead. Suddenly through the trees they could make out some movement, not large enough to be a dog, though.

"Alexander?!" Quatre called out. "Wait up, Alexander."

Sure enough, it was the diary wrapped in its protective cover they had been seeing bobbing up and down in the distance. Alexander allowed them to come closer before moving away again.

"I think he wants us to follow him?" Treize concluded.

Quatre nodded. "He says they have found it."

"Found what?" Milliardo creased his forehead.

"I'm not sure," his friend replied thoughtfully.

"Cabal?!"

This time the barking was very close, and then they saw the dog, his white fur almost blending in with the snow around him. The large animal was just laying there wagging his tail, but made no attempt to get up and approach them

Milliardo gasped. "Is he hurt or something?" he wondered aloud.

"No, I don't think so." Quatre, a few steps ahead of the others, shook his head. "Look what's next to him."

Treize squinted and realized that the white mound next to the borzoi was actually more than just piled up snow.

The goose was almost completely covered. It had probably wandered around until exhaustion got the better of it, curled up with its beak tucked beneath one white wing and fallen asleep.

Moving cautiously closer Milliardo touched the animal then picked it up. Instantly the Borzoi leaped to his feet, wagging his tail even more vigorously than before.

"Is he…dead?" Quatre wanted to know, his voice laced with concern.

The taller man shook his head as he unzipped his coat, draping it loosely around the bird. "I can feel it breathe. But it is cold as ice."

"The snow probably kept it from freezing to death," Treize suggested. "That and Cabal's body heat. Alexander, was that your idea?"

"I think they might have had a little help. Look!" Quatre pointed out a second pair of canine pawprints in the snow. Next to the impressions of Cabal's relatively small and delicate paws was a set of much larger and heavier prints.

"Rusty?!" Milliardo remarked carefully.

The professor shrugged, uncertain. "Let's head back quickly," he suggested. "Before we all catch a cold or something worse."

On the way back to the cabin the large goose started to stir. He moved his head weakly and tried to look about, then gave a few feeble honks.

##

"Look what we found." Quatre announced as small group entered the house. "Well technically it was Alexander and Cabal who found him."

"Heero, can you get me some warm water…in a plastic cup?" Treize demanded. "…and a cloth or something please."

Milliardo had passed the goose on to the other man so that he himself could take off his coat and shoes. The professor settled down in a chair, nodding at Heero who handed him the cup and a kitchen towel.

"Can you help me open his beak?"

"Like that?" The younger man carefully pried apart the two parts of the beak, allowing Treize to pour a few drops of the warm liquid down the birds throat.

"Perfect."

Treize massaged the long white neck with his free hand to induce swallowing. As they repeated the procedure a few more times they could feel the animal become more lively.

"I think that's enough now." The professor said when the goose started hissing and thrashing its head. but when he tilted the cup slightly the animal dipped its beak into it and started to drink on its own.

"Perhaps THIS…" Duo gestured at the cup. "…should be marked as the official Goose Cup from now on. Wouldn't want to accidently end up drinking from it later."

"Good idea," Heero nodded, already searching for a permanent marker.

"What are we going to do with him now? We can't put him back into his crate in the garage, can we?" Quatre wondered.

Treize shook his head. "He needs to slowly warm up. The warm water does only so much."

"How about a bath in the hot tub?"

Duo suggested.

"We want to warm it up, not drown it." Trowa pointed out. "It looks a little out of it, still. I don't think it would be able to swim."

"I have an idea. Wufei will you help me." Milliardo gestured for his friend to follow him and together the two of them left the house, only to return a few minutes later with a collapsible doggy playpen.

Not knowing how 'dog friendly' the cabin was going to be they had brought the pen along just in case. It wasn't that the enclosure could actually confine Cabal; not anymore at least. The Borzoi could jump the walls with the ease of a runner clearing a hurdle. But the dog was trained well enough to not leave the pen when he was told to stay in it.

With Wufei's help Milliardo quickly set up the contraption on the hardwood floor near the fireplace. He grabbed a couple of old newspapers from the recycle bin to cover the ground, while Treize wrapped a towel that Trowa had brought from upstairs, loosely around the goose and set it down in the middle of the pen.

"I think this should keep him safe and warm for now," the professor declared when Cabal pushed past him, jumped the wall of the enclosure and walked over to the goose.

The animal raised his head, gave a few disgruntled honks but eventually tucked its beak beneath one wing and went to sleep. Taken this an a sign that he presence was welcome the large dog curled up right beside the bird for a well-deserved nap of his own.

"Looks like they like each other," Wufei laughed. "You might have to get him a goose as a play companion after this."

"Riiiight." Milliardo snorted. "Don't you give him, or Alexander for that matter, any ideas. Where is he anyway; Alexander I mean."

The young man looked around. He couldn't feel the ghostly presence anywhere nearby.

"I think he mentioned something about having to finish his Christmas present," Quatre explained.

"I still have to do that myself," Treize admitted. "Tomorrow is Christmas morning. But food first. Are the sandwiches done?"

"The bacon is probably cold by now." Heero pointed out, but the professor just shrugged.

"I don't care. I'm starving."

###

The rest of the afternoon was spent with last minute Christmas preparation, as well as the conclusion of their little pool tournament started earlier that morning. After that, everyone was just ready to lay back and relax. The soft sound of Christmas music filled the house, mixing with the crackling of wood burning in the fireplaces and the smell of cinnamon and other spices from a pot of mulled red wine.

Outside the snow was falling, and the wind was howling around the cabin, but inside it was warm and cozy; the perfect Christmas Eve atmosphere.

Heero was in the kitchen checking on the stew that was slowly simmering over the fire, and cutting up a few more vegetables to add later. Next to him, Quatre, who had volunteered to help, was washing and peeling a large bunch of carrots.

"Are you going to need them all for the stew?" the young man suddenly asked. "Or could I have one or two?"

"Help yourself," Heero shrugged. "I probably brought more than we are going to eat."

"Thanks. What about an apple?"

"I put them out in a bowl on the table."

"Thanks."

When Quatre had finished cleaning the last of the carrots, he cut one into pieces and put them into a plastic Ziploc bag. He went into the living room to grab one of the apples from the bowl. It was quickly cut and disappeared into the bag as well.

"Is there anything else you need me to do?"

"Actually no." Heero shook his head. "All that's left now is to add the veggies in the end, to not overcook them and put the bread into the oven. Thanks for your help."

"You're welcome. The stew smells delicious. I can't wait to try it," Quatre told him.

The young man washed his hands and dried them on a paper towel leaving the kitchen area. Treize was sitting in the living room over a glass of mulled wine and a old fashioned crime novel he had borrowed from Alexander. On the other side of the room Wufei and Duo were locked in another chess game. After losing the first one to his friend, Duo had insisted on a rematch.

Quatre stopped at the little side table next to the professor, where the wine glass and a bowl of cashews were sitting.

"Are those salted?" he wanted to know.

"No." Treize shook his head with a smirk. "Milliardo is too worried about my blood pressure to let me eat anything with extra salt." He looked around to make sure his lover wasn't in earshot before adding. "He just doesn't realize that his constant nagging isn't good for my blood pressure either."

The younger man laughed, knowing that the professor's comment was nothing but good-natured fun.

"Mind if I have a few?" he asked gesturing at the nuts.

"Be my guest."

"Thanks."

Quatre disappeared into the kitchen, returned with a small bag a moment later and filled it with a handful of cashews.

"Thanks," he repeated before heading upstairs, followed by Treize's curious look.

"Is he hording food in his room, or something?" the professor joked. "Maybe he knows something we don't?"

"I'm not sure about that, but he earlier asked if he could have the rest of the sunflower seeds I had been snacking on on the way here," Duo replied with a shrug.

"Maybe he just likes to have a late night snack." Heero's voice came from the kitchen. "At least he seems to be into very healthy food."

"I might agree with that," Wufei looked up from the chess board. "if I had not seen him take off with one of the candles from the upstairs den, after asking me if I thought it was made from beeswax."

Duo's brows furrowed. "Should we talk to Trowa?" he wondered aloud.

"Leave him be." Treize took a sip from his wine glass and turned his attention back toward his book. "It's Christmas, the time of secrets, remember."

###

The stew tasted just as delicious as it smelled - not that anybody had doubted that- and the peppermint ice-cream with pieces of real peppermint candy churned into it made a perfect dessert. After the dishes were washed and the kitchen cleaned everyone gathered in the living room for a game of Trivial Pursuit.

The goose seemed to be doing better. It had pushed away the towels that covered it and was now nibbling pieces of green lettuce, grated vegetables and soft bread, put into the pen by Heero along with a bowl of fresh water. Cabal, who had been keeping the bird company for most of the afternoon had sniffed at a piece of lettuce, wrinkled his nose and left. Apparently, sharing his pen with his new friend was one thing, but sharing it's strange food was a totally different matter altogether. He went into the kitchen where his own bowl was filled with crunchy kibbles and a can of his favorite wet food.

As his friends were setting up the game board Quatre crooked his head, watching the bird in the pen.

"We are not really going to eat him, are we?" he asked quietly. "Not after we just managed to bring him back from near death."

"As far as I'm concerned," Wufei replied. "I think he deserves a pardon after everything that happened."

"Although I agree, I 'd say that should Heero's decision. After all, it is his bird and his Christmas dinner we are ultimately talking about," Treize pointed out.

All heads turned toward the young man with the unruly brown hair.

Heero gave a uncomfortable shrug. "To tell the truth, I don't like the idea of having to cook him now very much. After feeding him and watching him, you know… I don't think it's a good idea to bond with your dinner."

Milliardo threw his head back and laughed. "Wish I would have thought of that when I was a kid. Maybe it would have gotten me out of eating any of the vegetables we grew in our own garden."

"There is just one problem." Heero added with a look at his watch

"Oh?" Treize looked at him questioningly.

"It's a little late to make new plans for tomorrow's dinner. The stores in town are closed by now and tomorrow nothing will be open either."

"I didn't think I'd ever say this, but a meatless Christmas dinner doesn't really sound that bad, all things considered," Duo Maxwell remarked.

"I can live with that," Quatre nodded.

"We might not have to." Trowa rose from his place on the couch and headed into the hall, rummaging through his coat pockets for a few moments.

When he returned the young man was holding a folded and re-folded piece of paper in his hand.

"Found this under my windshield when I went into town yesterday evening," he explained as he threw the flyer onto the table. "I didn't want to litter so I put it into my pocket. Good thing I did."

"Milo's Pizza… We never close…" From where he was sitting Treize crooked his head a little to read.

Trowa had already pulled his cell phone from his pocket and was dialing the number beneath the restaurant's name.

"Let's see if that's really true."

The phone rang a few times then someone picked up. "Milo's Pizza, how can I help you?"

"Are you open tomorrow?" the young man wanted to know.

"Absolutely!" the voice on the other end answered. "We haven't closed a day for the past 13 years."

Trowa nodded to his friends to relay the answer. Duo gave him a thumbs up. Now came the important question.

"Do you deliver?"

"Delivery is free in a 5 mile radius; it costs a dollar for each additional mile."

The young man gave another nod. That sounded reasonable considering the current gas prices.

"Can we preorder for tomorrow evening, or is that too early."

"Might as well. What will it be?"

"Give me a second. We are just looking over the menu."

###

"Where do you think you are going?"

Quatre froze, one hand stretched out to reach for the door handle. He had sneaked out of bed, slipped into a pair of warm sweatpants and a heavy pullover, all the while thinking Trowa was fast asleep.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" he asked, slightly annoyed that he had been found out.

"Funny." the other youth sat up in bed. "That was going to be my next question. But you still haven't answered my first one. Where are you going?"

"Nowhere. Go back to sleep. There is something I need to take care of."

"Would it have anything to do with those fruits and vegetables you have been hoarding under the bed?"

"You know about that?"

"You haven't picked up some stray animal you are hiding somewhere, have you?" Trowa asked seriously.

"Of course not." Quatre huffed, then he gave a little sigh. "Just get dressed. You can help me."

"Help you with what?" the young man jumped out of bed, frowning as Quatre opened the bedroom door quietly.

"Sshh, quiet," he hissed. "You are going to wake the whole house."

"Speaking of which," Trowa whispered. "How are you planning on making it past a ghost, a dog and a goose without waking the entire house…considering that you didn't even manage to sneak by me? And…," he added with a little grin. "What if we run into Santa Clause?"

* * *

TBC

Author's note:


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **This story was written by a fan only for the enjoyment of other fans, without any monetary compensation. Gundam Wing and its characters are registered trademarks of Bandai Entertainment Inc.™ and Sotsu Agency. All rights reserved.

* * *

**Weihnachtsgans Augustus  
**  
Chapter 6

Duo, Heero and Wufei were already downstairs when the professor and his fiancé joined them.

"Merry Christmas!" The braided young man wished, raising his cup of morning coffee as though he was toasting.

"Merry Christmas to you, too," Treize replied.

Milliardo nodded at his friends. "Merry Christmas!"

The smell of something sweet and mixed with the smoky aroma of bacon and the robust scent of freshly brewed coffee had driven the two lovers out of bed.

"What are you making?" the older man ask.

"I am heating up a coffee cake. And there is something J used to call a breakfast casserole.," his friend explained. "We always had it Christmas morning. It has cubed French bread soaked in beaten eggs and milk, sprinkled with fried bacon and cheese and then baked in the oven. It takes a while to cook so we would usually open our presents while we waited. "

"That sounds like an excellent idea." Milliardo's look went to the pile of gifts that had collected on the little table by the fireplace. "Let's do that. I'm just going take Cabal outside very quickly."

"Alexander and I already did." Wufei told him. "I needed a good walk after all the good food we have been having. Speaking of which, we also fed him already. Hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. Thanks."

No wonder Cabal hadn't been all over him the moment he came downstairs. Where was he anyway? As Milliardo looked around he found the Borzoi once again at the side of his new friend inside the doggy pen. The odd couple was grooming one another. Cabal running his long pink tongue over the white feathers whilst the goose was fluffing his long soft fur with its beak, all the while making soft noises of contentment.

"I suppose then we are all set to open gifts." Treize had poured two cups of coffee, handing one off to Milliardo who was still watching Cabal and his strange companion.

"Would be," Duo agreed, "if Quatre and Trowa would get their behinds out of bed."

"They haven't come down yet?" the professor sounded surprised. "That's strange. Quatre is usually one of the first up and about."

"Might have something to do with the 'redecoration' of our Christmas tree." Wufei tilted his head, gesturing out of the window while he was emptying the dishwasher.

Curiously the professor turned his head. A soft smile curved his lips. The tree had indeed been redecorated. The popcorn chains had been replaced and in addition to the colorful ornaments there were now pieces of apples, and carrots hanging from the branches, along with little birdfeeders made of sunflower seeds, nuts and, Treize assumed, beeswax. The scrumptious offerings had attracted all kinds of wildlife; birds of all colors and sizes, squirrels and chipmunks and even a couple of rabbits that were happily picking carrot pieces from the lowest branches.

"That's so sweet." Milliardo exclaimed. "Must have taken those two forever to put all this up."

"Probably," Treize nodded, although he a feeling that their friend might have had a little help. Neither Quatre nor Trowa, or even both of them together, could have reached the top branches of the tall pine tree.

"Should I go wake them?" Duo offered.

The professor shook his head. " Let them sleep a bit longer. I'd say they deserved it."

The words had barely left his mouth, however, when the sound of footsteps could be heard on the stairs and moments later Trowa appeared dressed in a pair of sweats and T shirt, followed by Quatre, looking like he had just woken up.

"Sorry for making you guys wait." The young man yawned.

"No apology necessary," Treize told him. "We were just enjoying your handiwork from last night."

"Oh!" Quatre exclaimed excited "Did it work?"

###

A short time later a fresh batch of liquid pick-me-up was running through the coffee maker. Everyone, including Alexander, shuffled slowly into the living room and gathered near the small table with the presents. Even Cabal, sensing that something interesting was about to happen, left the doggy pen, eliciting a number protesting honks from his feathered friend, who apparently hadn't finished grooming him yet.

"Alexander, would you do us the honor?" Treize asked as everyone was seated.

A ghostly hand rummaged amongst the pile of colorful packages, then one of them lifted from the table, hovered in mid air for a moment before flying toward Heero who caught it mid-air.

"Thank you."

The young man turned the present around a few times, then shook it carefully as though he was trying to determine what was in it just from the sound.

"Oh come on." Milliardo huffed impatiently. "Just open it."

The younger man grinned as he, deliberately slow, untied the ribbon and removed the red and gold paper. He removed something that looked like a rolled up and tied together piece of denim fabric. But once he unrolled the bundle and noticed a number of pocket-like slots he immediately recognized its purpose.

"A roll-up tool pouch. Thanks. It's perfect for when I'm at Pete's looking for parts. I always put my tools into my pockets because I don't want to carry the whole toolbox around."

Milliardo smiled, happy that he was able to come up with a useful gift. "I'm no mechanic, but if I didn't miscalculate it should hold a whole set of wrenches."

Heero returned the smile. "Thanks, it's perfect," he repeated.

"Watch out, Quatre," Wufei warned as the next present came flying toward the young man.

The package was thin and stiff. Less patient than his friend, the blonde ripped away the paper instantly giving a excited gasp as he revealed a photo book. The book was filled with large black and white pictures of Chinese and Taiwanese architecture. It didn't take a genius to guess who had made it.

"It's gorgeous. Did you take all those photos yourself?" he asked Wufei as he started thumbing through the album.

"Most of them," his friend replied. "I asked my cousin to re-take a few that didn't come out well. The day Duo and I visited the Great Wall it was raining and I had raindrops on my lens every time I tried to take a photo."

Next it was Treize's turn to open his present. Duo had made him a round glass paperweight filled with sand and little mementos of his and Milliardo's trip to Italy the summer before; ticket stubs from their night at the opera...sea shells they had picked up at the beach...and other little things.

The professor smiled. "I love it. I'm going to look at it and always remember that trip. And...," he added with a smirk. "I did need a new paperweight, after someone broke my old one."

"Yeah, I wonder who that was?" Duo returned the grin.

The next present was the largest and was for Wufei. Curiously the young man unwrapped it staring at the wooden contraption that looked a bit like a oddly shaped coat rack, he turned it over a few times studying it from all sides.

"Thanks. I always wanted a... umm..."

Heero laughed. "It's a belt rack, for you to display your martial art belts."

"Of course it is." His friend replied somewhat sheepishly. "I knew that."

"As you will notice," Heero added. "I made one extra set of hooks, since we are all expecting that you will pass your Third Dan test next summer."

"No pressure at all," Milliardo grinned.

After that Alexander picked his own present. Paper went flying in all directions as he unwrapped a brown leather book cover with black stitching.

"I measured Octavian's diary, so it should fit," Trowa told him. "But if for any reason it doesn't, let me know. It can be fixed."

The young man flinched involuntarily when he suddenly found himself in a ghostly embrace.

"You are quite welcome," he managed to stammer.

A cool breeze ruffled his hair when Alexander backed away again.

Milliardo's gift was smaller than most. He ripped it open and pulled out a hand knotted leather chain with a key ring on one side and a small carabiner on the other.

"A keychain?!" He looked around between his fiancé, Quatre and Alexander, wondering which of them had made it.

Treize started to laugh. "You can attach it to your pants, so that you won't lose it. I believe that's someone's way of telling you he is fed up with being accused of hiding your keys every time you misplace them."

Milliardo eyes went to where he could feel Alexander's ghostly presence. A smirk curved his lips. "Hint taken. But I'm quite sure, at least half of the time you ARE the culprit."

"Don't throw that," Quatre warned before Alexander could fling one of the two gifts left on the table toward Duo.

"Thanks." The braided young man accepted the package with a nod in the ghost's direction.

The box revealed a red and gold tin.

"Cookies!" Duo exclaimed. "Please tell me it's those almond and butter cookies I tried at your place?"

"Well, I know how much you liked them. So I asked my sister for the recipe and baked you some."

"Yay!"

Trowa snorted. "He makes it sound so simple. But ask him how many batches it took until they were perfect... or even eatable, for that matter."

"So who is left?" Milliardo looked around to see which of his friends hadn't received his present yet, then handed the last little package off to Trowa.

The young man unwrapped a think square CD box, opened it and looked up in surprise.

"Who told you…"

The professor just smiled mysteriously.

"What is it?" Duo wanted to know.

"A CD, music from a band I used to listen to when I was in high school," Trowa explained. "They were local kids, but they were really good. We all thought they would make it big time for sure."

"What happened?" Quatre asked.

His bodyguard shrugged. "They grew up, I suppose." He turned toward Treize with a smile. "Thanks. I'll enjoy it later. It is bound to bring back some old good memories."

"Alright then. One more left, " Treize reached under the table to pull out a hastily wrapped object about the size of a baseball bat. "Cabal!"

The Borzoi, who had been amusing himself with scraps of wrapping paper and silk bows - one of which he was now wearing around his neck, courtesy of Duo Maxwell - raised his head.

"Come here." The professor held out the oddly shaped present, and Cabal quickly jumped to his feet. He sniffed the paper, grabbed it with his teeth and started to rip it away.

"Treize you didn't, did you?" Milliardo groaned as the dog unwrapped the biggest bone anyone ever had seen.

"Oh, come on. It's Christmas!" his lover smiled.

"Hmmm," Duo leaned forward and sniffed.

"It smells good. Makes me hungry."

"It's hickory smoked," Treize laughed, while Cabal grabbed his treasure, dragging it under the table where he started to chew on it instantly.

"Speaking of hungry," Heero announced as he rose to his feet. "I'll start dishing up that breakfast casserole."

"I'll help you," Wufei offered.

In the doggy pen the goose was making little protesting sounds as though it was displeased about being left out.

Quatre chuckled as he climbed over the barrier and picked up the bird and pulled him into his arms.

"Awww, you are upset because you are the only one who didn't get a present?"

"He got a new lease on life," Trowa pointed out. "How is that for a present?"

"You know, that brings up a whole new issue." Milliardo remarked. "What's going to happen to him once we all go home?"

"They must have something like a goose rescue somewhere," Treize said.

Quatre looked down at the large animal in his arms, who struggled a little before settling in. "Couldn't we just keep it?" His eyes went to Trowa. "Remember, those break-ins in our neighborhood recently? Father suggested we should get a guard dog. Well, from what I understand Geese make great guard dogs. What do you think?"

"Um… Quatre, I think your father was referring to something with 4 legs and teeth when he was talking about a dog," the other youth pointed out.

"Oh, come on. What's the difference? Please!?" the blonde put on a cute little pout. "He can live in the backyard, keep the lawn down too."

"Oh what the heck," Trowa shrugged. "What do I care? But you seem to forget this IS Heero's bird. It should be up to him to decide what happens."

"If you want him," Heero's voice came from the kitchen area, "he is all yours. Merry Christmas!"

"Thanks!" Quatre smiled.

###

It wasn't until after breakfast that Trowa noticed he had left his cell phone in his bedroom earlier that morning. Whilst Alexander, Treize and Quatre took the dog outside for a game of fetch, the young man headed upstairs to retrieve it. When he turned it on he noticed that he had missed a call. Recognizing the number with the 049 prefix Trowa checked his watch before calling Leia back.

"Merry Christmas!" He greeted his adoptive sister. "Sorry I missed your call earlier."

"Merry Christmas to you, too. No big deal. Mariemaia just wanted to say thank you for her Christmas gifts. Hold on. - Marie!" she called into the room. "Komme mal schnell her. Ich habe Onkel Triton am telephone"

Moments later the voice of Leia's young daughter came over the line.

"Onkel Triton?!"

"Hi Marie, Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, and thank you for my books, and the teddy bear, and the art center, and... Well, thank you for everything."

"You are quite welcome." Trowa laughed. It had always amazed him how well his little niece spoke both German and English and how easy she would switch between both languages. "What else did Santa Claus bring you?"

"Onkel Triton," she huffed. "There is no such thing as Santa Claus. You know that, don't you?"

"Are you sure?" He faked shock. "I could have sworn I heard him last night landing on the roof with his sled."

"Maybe you have a squirrel in the attic," Mariemaia replied seriously. "We once had a squirrel in the attic. It was pretty noisy, too."

Trowa had to bite his lip to not burst out into laughter. In the background he could hear Leia's voice.

"Can I have the phone back now? Sweetheart, why don't you finish drawing that picture for Oma and Opa?"

"Okay. Bye Onkel Triton. Do you want me to draw you a picture, too?"

"Absolutely."

She handed the receiver back to her mom.

"So," Leia asked. "How is your little ski trip going?"

"It's great," he told her, then frowned. "Wait a minute. How did you know?"

"I spoke to Treize a few days ago. He mentioned something."

"Treize, of course. That explains things. I was wondering who had told him what music I used to like. Didn't remember mentioning that to Quatre or anyone else he might have known. Anyway, did you two do anything fun for the holidays?"

"Just locally. We went to the Weihnachtsmarkt, saw the Nutcracker, stuff like that."

"Sounds like fun."

"It was," she agreed. "How was your big Christmas dinner. Oh wait, that's not until tonight, is it?"

"It is," Trowa confirmed. "But things have changed a bit. No roasted goose on the menu anymore."

"Oh?" Leia asked, curiosity in her voice.

"It's a long story," the young man sighed, but told her anyway; about Heero's mix up with the order, his own mishap trying to kill the goose and it's rescue and adoption by Quatre.

Leia burst into laughter. "Oh my, that sounds a bit like Weihnachtsgans Auguste*, doesn't it?" she said when she finally could speak again.

Trowa chuckled. He had read that story to Marie last Christmas while his little niece was visiting her grandma and grandpa. "Only we have got us an Augustus, rather than an Auguste." he replied. "But at least we won't have to knit him a sweater."

###

Even though the Christmas dinner didn't turn out exactly the way Heero had imagined it, everyone seemed happy when they gathered around the table, and that was the most important thing. The pizza smelled delicious, and the Black Forest Cake he had finished only 30 minutes earlier looked wonderful.

Milliardo had opened two bottles of wine, one red and one white, which he and Treize had brought along for the occasion. He filled everyone's glass according to their wishes, whilst Wufei lit the candles on the centerpiece. It was a festive atmosphere to say the least.

Augustus - the name had stuck after Trowa had told everyone about his sister's comment - had reluctantly been put back into the doggy pen, where he and the Borzoi were now gnawing away on Cabal's oversized bone.

"Should we start with a toast?" Quatre asked. "To many more trips like this one."

"And…" Duo added. "To the team of mechanics that finally managed to fix the ski lifts so that we can get some good snowboarding done tomorrow."

"I think," Treize replied. "Even though we didn't snowboard and ski as much as we wanted, we still did pretty well. I mean, we DID help to save a couple of snowboarders."

"We also saved a tree." Wufei pointed out.

"And we saved a goose," Quatre grinned.

"Right in the face of those who say that the true spirit of Christmas has been forgotten," Milliardo added.

"I will drink to that!" Duo raised his wine glass, and everyone followed him.

"Merry Christmas!"

* * *

TBC

Author's note: * Leia and Trowa is referring to "Weihnachtsgans Auguste " (Christmas Goose Auguste) a German Children story about a goose which was purchased to become a roast for the family Holiday dinner. But after having been de-feathered, Auguste wakes up, becomes eventually a member of the family and received a knitted sweater to keep her warm until her own feathers have grown back in.


	8. Epilogue

**Disclaimer: **This story was written by a fan only for the enjoyment of other fans, without any monetary compensation. Gundam Wing and its characters are registered trademarks of Bandai Entertainment Inc.™ and Sotsu Agency. All rights reserved.

* * *

**Weihnachtsgans Augustus  
**  
Epilogue

Ducking his head to avoid a small swarm of birds taking off from the brightly lit tree in front of the cabin, Trent Boyle frowned slightly. From inside the house he could hear music and voices.

When the leader of the SAR team had called his former commander earlier that day to update him, as promised, on the condition of the injured snowboarders - amazingly, the three teenagers had suffered no more than a few broken bones and a concussion between them - Treize had invited him to spend New Year's Eve with him and his friends at their cabin. Reluctantly Trent had accepted. He was not much of a party animal. His normal routine was to watch the ball drop in New York and then take Rusty on a long and peaceful walk through the woods. But of course, Rusty was gone… Maybe he could use a little distraction tonight.

The young man, carrying a bottle of champagne in one hand and some sparkling cider in the other, was still trying to figure out how to ring the bell without having to set down his load when the door suddenly opened seemingly on its own. But before he had a chance to wonder about it a large nearly white dog, a Russian Wolfhound if he wasn't mistaken, appeared to greet him with a wagging tail.

"Hello there, aren't you the pretty one?"

"Trent, come in. Close the door," the commander's voice beckoned in from inside the living room.

He followed the invitation, pushed the door close with his foot and slipped off his boots before walking into the room, followed by the Borzoi. The group was sitting around a large table playing some kind of board game, but Treize rose to his feet as soon as he entered.

"I'm glad you could make it."

"Thanks…Um…I've brought something to drink."

"Oh, great. Let me put those on ice." His former commander took the bottles from him. "Have a seat."

As Trent walked around the table, heading for one of the empty chairs he noticed a doggy pen in front of the lit fireplace. Curious he stretched his neck for a look inside, expecting another dog, maybe a puppy but was surprised when instead he found a goose grooming it's feathers. He frowned slightly, about to ask a question then remembered something Treize had told him during their call.

_"Umm…Trent, if there is something that strikes you as a little…. well, unusual tonight, try not to think too much about it and just ignore it."_

Was this what the commander was talking about? Alright, so geese weren't exactly the most common pets but it wasn't unheard of either. Still musing Trent found his seat next to the young man with long braided hair. The other day on the slope, when he first met them he had almost made the mistake of mistaking him for a woman.

"Hey," the young man grinned at him. "Nice to see you again. Ever played Apples to Apples before?"

"Not that I can remember," he replied. "But I'm sure I'll learn."

Sure enough the game was easy to figure out, and a lot of fun. Before he knew it the clock showed 10:45 and someone suggested turning on the TV. While they watched the New Years Eve show from Times Square in New York Treize and the young man named Heero opened a few bottles of champagne and the sparkling cider and filled everyone's glass with the drink of their choice.

When the ball dropped they joined the countdown and then toasted one another. Trent smiled, glad that he had accepted the commander's invitation. The evening had turned out a lot more fun than he had imagined.

###

After finishing his glass Boyle slipped off to the bathroom. When he returned he noticed Quatre leaving the cabin, apparently to let out the dog. He hesitated for a few minutes before putting on his boots, grabbing his jacket and following the blonde.

Wearing only his sweater, the young man was standing on the patio, his face turned up toward the gently falling snow. In the front yard Cabal was running around, sniffing here and digging there.

"Isn't it bit chilly out here without a jacket?"

Quatre turned his head.

"It's not that bad. I love the snow, don't you?"

"Not if I have to scrape it off my car at 5 o'clock in the morning," Trent replied tongue in cheek.

They both laughed. Then they grew quiet. Silence fell over the scene until Boyle spoke again.

"You really saw him, didn't you; Rusty I mean?" he asked, grateful for the opportunity to speak privately with the young man.

"I did." Quatre confirmed. "But so did you, did you not?"

Trent hesitated.

"As I said, I'm not sure what I saw." He finally admitted. "The wind...the snow...the sun reflecting off it...it all can play tricks on your eyes, and your mind."

#

Quatre just smiled, softly. It sounded to him as though the other man was trying to convince himself not to have seen what he saw.

After a few more moments of hesitation Trent looked up at him. "Do you think it is possible... that he might show himself again?"

The younger man shrugged. "I don't have an answer to that. But I can tell you that if you open your eyes... no, if you open your mind you might be surprised what is possible."

Trent seemed to think about that for a moment, then nodded.

"Thanks. I think I might take a little walk. I'll be back in a while. You guys are not going to bed any time soon, are you?"

"Not for another few hours, I'm sure."

"See you later then."

Quatre 's eyes followed the older man until his form disappeared amongst the darkness between the trees.

"Thanks, Alexander," he spoke when he was sure that he wouldn't be heard. "for not butting in. He needs to figure this out by himself. Somehow I have a feeling, he will. Cabal! Here boy! let's go back inside."

* * *

The end

Author's note: Another story done. Just in time too. With Chinese New Year being so early this year I need to start working on that fic. I meant to write a installment about Wufei in the Ghost Detective arc for 3 years now but somehow Chinese New year always seemed to sneak up on me. But this year I really, really want to get it done.

Some of you might be interested to hear that I made some New Year's resolutions for 2014 which include finishing some of my unfinished stories. High on my list are The Museum and The Piano and also Spirit of the Blue-eyed Wolf. That doesn't mean I won't work on other fics, but those three will get my main attention.

This weekend I'll also remove some of my older fics from this site, mainly those that have not been finished and never will be or have been re-written or integrated into other story plots.


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